Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Carditis

About The Event

Lyme carditis is an infection that occurs when Lyme bacteria enter your heart tissue. The bacteria affect your heart’s electrical system or can cause inflammation (myocarditis or pericarditis). According to a study, 90% of patients with Lyme carditis develop cardiac conduction abnormalities and 60% develop signs of perimyocarditis. 5-10% of cases may also present with fulminant myocarditis, which impacts the heart’s ability to fully contract.

Lyme disease is not the only infection that can cause carditis. Indeed, Mayo Clinic recognizes a broad range of viral, bacterial (including Lyme disease), and parasitic infections that can cause myocarditis. While not included in the Mayo Clinic list, tick-borne infections such as Bartonella, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and Powassan Virus should also be considered as part of the differential diagnosis.

Dr. Adrian Baranchuk is a cardiologist and professor based in Kingston, Ontario will join Project Lyme and ILADS to discuss cardiological manifestations of Lyme disease, specifcally Lyme carditis, and present on how he diagnoses and treats the condition.

About The Speaker

Dr. Adrian Baranchuk, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, obtained his MD from the University of Buenos Aires in 1990. After qualifying in Internal Medicine and Cardiology (1995), he completed a Clinical Fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology (1997). In 2002 he immigrated to Spain for a Research Fellow. Dr. Baranchuk was appointed as a Clinical Fellow in Electrophysiology at McMaster University in September 2003.

Dr. Baranchuk was appointed as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Queen’s University (2006), promoted to Associate Professor in 2010 and to Full Professor in 2016 (with Tenure). He has founded the EP Training Program in 2007.

He has published more than 750 articles in well-recognized international journals (648 in Pubmed), 67 book chapters and presented more than 260 abstracts. He served as the President of the International Society of Electrocardiology (ISE) for the period 2017-2019. He is currently President-Elect of the Interamerican Society of Cardiology (2021-2023) and Vice President of the International Society of Holter and Non-invasive Electrocardiology (ISHNE) (2021-2023).

He has mentored more than 140 students and residents and his publications usually include a Med Student or resident as first author. He served in the Electrophysiology Section Leadership Council of the American College of Cardiology (2017-2020)

Dr. Baranchuk is in charge of organizing the ECG module for the trainee day and the ECG Workshops during the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.

About The Sponsors

Project Lyme

Our mission is to eradicate the epidemic of tick-borne diseases through awareness and education, support of cutting-edge science, and advocacy for solutions to end the suffering. As a national Lyme disease non-profit, we aim to impact patients’ lives through our work.

ILADS

ILADS is a nonprofit, international, multidisciplinary medical society dedicated to the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and its associated illnesses. ILADS promotes understanding of Lyme and associated diseases through research, education and policy. We strongly support physicians, scientists, researchers and other healthcare professionals dedicated to advancing the standard of care for Lyme and associated diseases.